Hesperus was surprised that his attack almost succeeded in removing his foe's head, though the quick reactions of his enemy proved to be enough to dodge the attack. However, what Tranquil apparently failed to realise was the secondary purpose of the projectile. As he stood atop a tangle of ropes, the sword had to first pass through the wires in order to reach him, which it did, severing the threads and causing the two ends to fall into the sea. Fortunately, one of the ropes was tangled up in the mess of strands above, and it fell in a fairly vertical fashion, trailing into the water not too far from the boy. The Air Apparent appeared oblivious to this, having already begun his series of attacks.
In a flash of mist reminiscent of the boy's battle with Pyro, two identical duplicates of Tranquil appeared out of thin air. Still treading water, the child was beginning to feel like he was fighting someone out of his league, again. Which only served to paint a devious grin on his face. He loved a challenge. He received just such a challenge as the central copy surged towards him, and the boy had only just enough time to wrench his katana out of the water and block the first blow. Surely the opponent was planning to follow up on this initial strike, but Augustus had a plethora of disadvantages due to his position, so he decided to exercise one of the only advantages he had. Pushing off his foe's sword with his own, the assassin was submerged once more in the watery depths, knowing that his enemy would not dare follow him.
Sword strikes slashing through the area the boy had previously occupied, the giant-killer used the moments of safety he had to tear a piece of cloth from the end of his cape, wrapping it tightly around the blade end of one of his daggers. The knife rested in a sealed compartment in his left gauntlet, ready to be deployed. Gasping as he inhaled air again, Hesperus saw another clone approaching him, and noted the obvious feint as the man prepared to slam the child back into the deep. With no footing, Augustus was powerless to prevent such an attack. Then, the moment before the blow landed, another clone appeared nearby, clutching a spiralling ball of energy. Using the only weapon he had available, Hesperus threw his katana with the same precision as earlier, launching the blade at the centre of the wind bomb. As the tip of his blade made contact, the bomb was detonated, and the clone's hammer-fists slammed into the top of the boy's head.
Plummeting below the surface yet again, spots and stars danced before the child's eyes as he felt dizzy and confused by the strike. Additionally, though the length of his katana meant that Augustus was outside the blast radius, his hand, still extended from the throw, was caught in the explosion. Invisible blades pierced his flesh, as his hand felt as numb and useless as his entire right arm. Dizzy and confused, Hesperus' eyes roamed around the ocean, until he saw it... the rope.
The wire he had earlier ensured would be his escape route was floating in the water directly to the left. His arms useless, the acrobatic assassin stuck out a leg, then the other, as the rope wrapped around them. Rotating in the water, the thick thread circled his waist, as like a circus acrobat Hesperus rose out of the waves, using his legs alone to ascend, the bonds wrapping around his limbs and hips as the boy skillfully threaded his way to safety. Aware that Tranquil would attempt to interrupt his climb, Augustus was barely halfway up when he severed his lifeline using the blade attached to his left arm.
Spiralling back down to the ocean, Augustus span as he fell, with such speed that the water clogging his clothes and cape began to disperse. He began to dry, ridding himself of the toxic liquid, until finally he was dry enough. Before he could touch the waves again, Hesperus soared into the sky, his powers mostly returned. The residual water prevented him from accessing his full arsenal, but at the very least, he could fly. Blasting through the sky (and thus drying himself even more) the diminutive demon barrelled at his enemy with immense speed. Performing a one-hundred-and-eighty degree rotation just before contact, the now-upside-down killer attempted to cleave a hole in his foe's chest with the blade on his right foot, using the momentum of his spin to drive the attack. Simultaneously, while his kick was a distraction, he accessed the hidden compartment in his left glove, as the dagger he placed there earlier was ejected, with great force, towards Tranquil.
His dagger was wrapped in a thin piece of drenched cloth, which remained waterlogged in the sealed chamber. If the blade made contact (or even better, pieced flesh) it was the lad's hope that the enchanted fluid would have an effect on the man, at the very least weakening his powers. Assuming Tranquil had no immediate counter, Augustus would continue his trajectory and come to a stop hovering in the sky, 7 foot above his opponent. The boy was at a disadvantage still. His right arm was still broken and useless; his left arm was still functioning, though his hand was paralysed; he had thrown away both of his primary weapons (though lacked any available method of wielding them anyway); and his head was still throbbing. Yet Hesperus was undeterred. He still had his legs, his feet, his blades and his wits. And more than that:
He was having fun.
Log in to comment